James Boyce Death, Obituary – James Boyce, our much-loved Pastor, passed away suddenly on the evening of Monday, December 12th. His passing was a shock to all of us. This information is being conveyed to you with the utmost sense of remorse on our part. Even though James had been undergoing treatment for cancer, the news of his passing came as a total shock to all of us because we had not anticipated that it would occur. James stepped into a paid role to care for our community in 2010 when Jase embarked on a leave of absence for long-term service. Prior to that, James had volunteered his time at Missionheart for a considerable amount of time over the course of several years.
James had a remarkable ability to carry on a discussion with a single person while still paying close attention to what that person had to say. He looked forward to nothing more than brewing some great coffee, sitting down with his friends at the drop-in center, and engaging in deep conversations about his faith in Jesus Christ. On Sundays, when he was juggling youngsters, he was also able to dribble a soccer ball, make and serve a huge quantity of sausages, and welcome our friends who were having problems. All of this was accomplished simultaneously.
He was a brilliant communicator, and his methods of thinking were not traditional at all.
We all remember the lesson he taught us about the importance of planting sequoias, which are massive trees that take one hundred years to reach their full height. He challenged us to think about the legacy that we will leave behind in the long term, and although we can’t always see the fruit now, we want to be planting sequoias, a faith that is strong and enduring, with fruit that will be evident in the generations to come so that they may reap what we have sown with our lives. This will allow them to reap what we have sown with our lives.